Preview: Round 6 – Chengdu, China

Following a winning weekend in South Korea earlier this month, Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing and long-term partner team BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse embark on a mission of discovery with the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour’s first visit to the Chengdu Tianfu International Circuit in China.

Taking place from October 15-18 and forming round six of the of the eight-round Kumho FIA TCR World Tour, the Chengdu event marks the start of a Chinese mainland double-header that concludes with a first visit to Zhejiang International Circuit from October 22-25. Macau, a special administrative region of China, forms the season decider from November 19-22.
 
Built to FIA Grade 2 standards and featuring an undulating 19-turn layout, the 3.265-kilometre Chengdu Tianfu International Circuit opened in 2023 and hosts the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour at key stage of the season.
 
After his heroics at Inje Speedium, Mikel Azcona holds an advantage of 41 points over his BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse team-mate Norbert Michelisz. Santiago Urrutia, the first non-Hyundai-powered driver, is eight points further behind.
 
While a maximum of 285 points remains up for grabs across the remaining three weekends of the season, the margin Azcona has built up will serve as a useful buffer for the Spanish racer when he carries the maximum 40 kilograms of Compensation Weight in Chengdu in accordance with Kumho FIA TCR World Tour regulations.
 
Michelisz will also be saddled by competing with 30 kilograms of Compensation Weight, meaning both BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse drivers will face a notable disadvantage in their pursuit of more on-track success.
 
However, Michelisz proved in South Korea what could be possible when carrying 30 kilograms of additional weight by qualifying second and twice finishing in third place.
 
Like the previous round at Inje Speedium in South Korea, the Chengdu weekend follows the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour Format 3 event format consisting of three races of 30 minutes plus one lap. Qualifying is split into two parts, Q1 and Q2, with the fastest 12 drivers progressing to Q2. The qualifying results will be used to determine the starting grid for Race 1 and Race 2, although the top 10 positions for Race 2 will be in reverse of the Q2 order, while the driver setting the fastest lap in Race 1 will be promoted one position. The Race 3 grid is decided by calculating the points scored in Qualifying, Race 1 and Race 2.
 
Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Manager Benoît Nogier said:

The results we achieved at Inje Speedium proved what’s possible when you prepare to the maximum and have a clear strategy that you follow through. The results also showed that when you can count on two extremely talented drivers, a strong team and a very competitive racing car, then great things happen. But while we gave ourselves some moments to celebrate what we achieved at our home event, we very quickly turned our attentions to the remainder of the season and particularly two venues where our drivers have never raced before in Chengdu and Zhejiang. Although we are not alone in encountering these tracks for the first time, it’s essential that we draw on all our experience and capabilities to hit the ground running, especially in Chengdu when both Mikel and Norbi will carry significant amounts of Compensation Weight that will make the challenge that extra bit harder. But we start the China double-header determined to maximise our possibilities by avoiding mistakes and scoring as many points as possible. 

Driver Notes: #196 Mikel Azcona (ESP), Hyundai Elantra N TCR 

• Azcona has gone from being the hunter to the hunted after he moved to the top of the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour Drivers’ standings with a victory double during the last round in South Korea
• Carrying 40 kilograms of Compensation Weight might present a significant hurdle for Azcona to overcome but the Spaniard is determined to “minimise the damage” aboard his Hyundai Elantra N TCR
• Efforts to overcome his absence of Chengdu Tianfu International Circuit knowledge have included studying maps online

 Azcona said: “I have zero experience of Chengdu and, as a new track, it’s not possible to find it in simracing. But I try my best to learn from onboards, from layouts, from Google Maps. On this high level it doesn’t matter if the track is new. All the drivers in the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour are very professional and in two laps we can get to the limits of our performance. Being a new track is something that’s not scaring me because I always like to go to new tracks and my application is good and that’s something positive. Of course, it’s always harder when you go with maximum Compensation Weight, so it’s going to be a weekend where I need to minimise the damage and get as many points as possible considering the extra kilos we are carrying.”

 
Driver Notes: #105 Norbert Michelisz (HUN), Hyundai Elantra N TCR 

• Michelisz showed great determination at Inje Speedium by qualifying second for Race 1 and finishing third on two occasions despite carrying 30 kilograms of Compensation Weight
• The Hungarian driver’s efforts in South Korea behind the wheel of his Hyundai Elantra N TCR were rewarded with second place in the provisional Kumho FIA TCR World Tour standings after five rounds
• He will start the Chengdu weekend 41 points behind team-mate Azcona having won twice in 2026
   

Michelisz said: “It’s a bit of a jump into the unknown, which I wouldn’t say is nice but it’s something different. It’s the same for everyone and when we arrive in Chengdu, we will have some days to prepare, to do the track walk, analysing the asphalt and then figuring out the best possible set-up. With the experience we have you kind of know how to figure out a solution, not to over think because many times basic solutions are the way to go. A car that gives the driver confidence is always the key to learn a circuit and then to get to a point where finetuning and then going for the last tenth of a second will be possible. Considering the successful weekend we had in Inje, for sure we will run very heavy, both me and Mikel, so it’s not going to be walk in the park. But I truly believe with efficient work, good preparation and sticking to the basics, we will have a good weekend in Chengdu. I had the experience in Inje of running with a lot of weight. You just need to put your head down and go through the weekend without doing any unnecessary mistakes because to fight for the championship you have to accept that on many race weekends, because of the weight and because of the physics, you will not have the fastest car and the fastest package. For me championships are won on race weekends when you collect the maximum points which are left on the table.”
 

Weekend at a Glance

• Round 6 of the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour begins with Shakedown for 30 minutes from 17:00 local time on Thursday October 15.
• Free Practice 1 follows on Friday October 16 from 11:20-11:50 with Free Practice 2 up next from 15:40-16:10.
• Qualifying Q1, which runs for 20 minutes, is scheduled to get under way at 09:50 on Saturday October 16 with the 10-minute Qualifying Q2 following from 10:17, ahead of Race 1 from 15:15.
• Race 2 and Race 3 are set to bring the Chengdu weekend to a close on Sunday October 18 at 09:30 and 14:10 respectively with all three races set to take place over a duration of 30 minutes plus one lap.